My Favorite Shakespeare Villains

Posted on September 27, 2017 by writerhoss

Last week, this blog featured an infograph of literary villains in which Shakespeare’s characters figured prominently. So that started me thinking about my favorite (i.e., most deliciously villainous) of the Bard’s bad guys.

hollow-crown

So here’s the list (and the plays in which they figure):

Richard III (2 Henry VI, 3 Henry VI, Richard III)
Iago (Othello)
Edmund (King Lear)
King Claudius (Hamlet)
Lady Macbeth (Macbeth)
Aaron the Moor (Titus Andronicus)
Tamora (Titus Andronicus)
Cassius (Julius Caesar)
Angelo (Measure for Measure)
Haste (Romeo and Juliet)–I know, that’s not a person, but I see haste as the bad guy in the play.

How about you? How would you change the list? Add? Subtract?

About writerhoss

I am a writer from southwestern Ohio, and a frequent speaker at churches, conferences, and retreats. My books include The Bard and the Bible (A Shakespeare Devotional).

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This entry was posted in Bard, Plays and tagged 2 Henry VI, 3 Henry IV, Aaron the Moor, Angelo, Cassius, Claudius, Don John, Edmund, Hamlet, Iago, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, Measure for Measure, Much Ado About Nothing, Othello, Richard III, shakespeare, Tamora, Titus Andronicus. Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to My Favorite Shakespeare Villains

Rachel Scott Mcdaniel says:

September 28, 2017 at 1:12 pm

Regan from King Lear. I think she’s cruel and horrid. So does that make her a great villain if she disgusts me? LOL

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writerhoss says:

September 28, 2017 at 1:12 pm

Yes, the best villains are the worst.

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